Abstract
IN JUNE 2006, a capital campaign was initiated to raise support to transform the Society for Nuclear Medicine (SNM) into a broad-based molecular imaging society. Within SNM, the Molecular Imaging Center of Excellence (MICoE) was charged with spearheading the implementation of the strategic plan, initiating new programs to meet the plan's specific goals and objectives. One of those goals was to offer SNM members expanded journal offerings that would feature basic, preclinical, and non-nuclear molecular imaging research. Rather than start a “green” field journal in this area, the SNM and MICoE leadership held discussions with Molecular Imaging (MI) publisher BC Decker Inc to establish a sponsorship venture. This partnership arrangement provides access to the MI journal to SNM members through membership services and assists with the promotion of the journal to a larger audience. Now SNM members will have a new journal to which they may submit their basic molecular imaging research articles.
As president of the MICoE, it was my pleasure to work with Dr. Martin Pomper, editor in chief of MI and immediate past president of MICoE, and BC Decker staff as guest editor of this special MI issue. We invited SNM members to contribute their latest molecular imaging research or review articles to inaugurate the relationship between SNM and MI. Before you is the culmination of several months of effort on the part of the authors, editors, and staff to provide a high-quality tribute to mark the start of this journey. This compilation of articles provides an auspicious beginning to a successful alignment of SNM and MI.
It is my hope that this issue will inspire SNM members to support MI and consider this publication as a portal for dissemination of their scholarly efforts.